The present invention relates generally to communication systems. The present invention relates more particularly to a mechanism for group polling without precise timing in a communication system.
Wireless broadband networks have become very popular for data communication. Such networks may be set up relatively inexpensively and quickly. Such networks may provide local communication among network client devices through an access point which controls communication in the network. Instead, or in addition, such networks may provide communication access to remote networks including the Internet.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has promulgated several data communication standards which have subsequently been adopted by industry. One example of a family of such standards is commonly referred to IEEE 802.11. IEEE 802.11 includes several protocols including IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and IEEE 802.11n. 802.11 networks and devices are commonly referred to as WiFi devices. The 802.11 protocols define devices and operations that may communicate in a network, including messaging and timing. According to the protocols, an access point or base station controls data communication including timing of communication between the access point and respective stations or client devices in a service area around the access point. Client devices operate according to the same protocol to communicate with the access point. Messaging is defined by the protocol.
To improve the utility of these networks, manufacturers have been expanding the range of communication and thus the size of the service area. Initially, WiFi communication was limited to line of sight or a few tens of meters between transmitter and receiver. More recently, networks are being developed with a service area radius or node size of 5 to 15 km.
Increasing the scale of networks in this manner has met with commercial success. This success has created opportunities for additional features in systems and methods for communication as well as opportunities for improving performance and efficiency.